A flurry of letters between Knopp and constituents

Politics

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January 29, 2019

A flurry of letters between Knopp and constituents

KENAI REPRESENTATIVE BEGINNING TO HEAR FROM HOMEFRONT, AND THEY AREN’T HAPPY

The Republican Women of the Kenai sent Rep. Gary Knopp a letter last week, disapproving of his recent failure to be a part of the Republican majority in the Legislature. It is printed in full here.

Below the women’s letter, you can read Knopp’s point-by-point response, in which he says the responses he is hearing from constituents are 10-to-1 in favor of his recent actions.

REPUBLICAN WOMEN OF THE KENAI LETTER TO KNOPP

January 23, 2019

Republican Women of the Kenai 35186 Kenai Spur Highway Soldotna, AK 99669

Representative Gary Knopp,

We, the Republican Women of the Kenai, have serious concerns with your failure to be a part of the Republican House Majority; including your most recent failure to support a Republican member as Speaker Pro-Tem and Representative Talerico as Speaker.

Let us remind you, you ran as a Republican – unopposed. If people had known you were unwilling to support a Republican House Majority, you would have had a primary opponent. The District 31 election this past fall should serve as an example.

Most troubling to us was a news report (https://www.alaskapublic.org/2018/12/10/rep- knopp-leaves-republican-caucus-seeks-new-bipartisan-coalition/) in which you were quoted as saying you were forming a bi-partisan coalition that would “…act as acounterweight to Gov. Mike Dunleavy, while an all-Republican caucus wouldn’t”.

Let us remind you, Governor Dunleavy won District 30 by a vote of 5,383 to 2,169, a substantial plurality. While we can’t say definitively that 5,383 voters would be offendedby your position to oppose Gov. Dunleavy, we can say that many of them would be. Certainly, we are.

We are very concerned that your actions are destroying the trust that voters had in their representative and the trust of the party who supported your candidacy. Trust is an indispensable commodity in government. Once trust is lost, it is very difficult to regain.

The consequences of your actions have yet to be seen, but we assure you that we will be watching and take appropriate actions to ensure the voters of District 30 are fully informed and given opportunities to remedy the situation you have placed upon the House of Representatives.

Former Representative Paul Seaton ran as an independent after joining the coalition last legislative session. He did not win but at least he did not try to “fool” the voters into thinking he was affiliated with the Republican Party.

We ask you to seriously consider whether you want to remain a member of the Grand Old Party. We would like to have you with us for certain; but we need to be able to rely on you and your colleagues in the State Legislature deserve the same consideration.

Awaiting your reply, we remain Sincerely,

Republican Women of the Kenai

REP. KNOPP’S REPLY TO THE WOMEN’S CLUB

Dear Members of the Republican Women,

I will try to address your concerns paragraph by paragraph; however, I do not believe that it will provide relief to your concerns.

The reasoning behind my actions have been shared with the public media and anyone interested since Dec. 8, 2018. It is simply because there was zero chance of the house succeeding with just a twenty-one-member majority.

It is more important to me that the house succeeds, than the makeup of the house.

The reality of it is the Republicans were never organized from day one. Rep Eastman never committed to the caucus, never committed to supporting the speaker nominee, would not participate in the press release with the republicans. We never had twenty-one.

#1. Speaker pro-tem and speaker

There were two candidates for speaker pro-tem, when they were nominated I knew who my choice was, regardless of party affiliation I chose the best candidate. My vote for Rep Neuman would have been symbolic (in line with the party) but the outcome would have been the same. There simply were not enough votes to elect him. As you saw, Rep Foster was overwhelming elected with the help of the Republicans with 35 yea’s and 4 nays.

As far as Rep Talerico, his name should not have been forwarded for consideration without first having a clear organization in place.

#2. I ran as a Republican because I am a Republican. Maybe more so than most. I care that we are successful, there could be nothing worse than the house falling apart in the middle of the session with a razor thin majority.

#3. A news release announcing my departure from the Republican caucus and the reasons for it are accurate. I could not recall making the statement regarding being a counter-weight to the Governors agenda. I did go back and review the article and saw where I in fact did make that statement. In hindsight I wish I hadn’t said it, or I should have offered a little more explanation about the comment. It is not my intent to thwart the Governors efforts nor do I intend to be a rubber stamp. Make no mistake, some of the Governors campaign promises scare me. I believe there are segments of his agenda that may have negative effects on The Peninsula and frankly has me vey guarded.

#4. I can certainly understand the concern that you and many others have expressed. I appreciate the many constituents who have reached out to me personally with the intention of gaining knowledge and facts to better understand my position. For every letter of frustration that I receive, I receive tenfold in support of my efforts. Also, consider the fact that I represent 16,000 registered voters of which Republicans make-up approximately 33%. Non-partisan and undeclared alone make up 55%.

#5. The trust issue: You are correct about losing the public trust; but if people start passing judgement to early they may be mistaken in trusting their elected officials. What I am saying is, it is too early to pass judgment, if the House gets its work done and addresses the three issues most important to the public (PFD, crime reform & the budget) then gets out of Juneau in a timely fashion, we have succeeded. In my opinion, the appropriate time to make this judgement is when the 31^st Legislature has gaveled out.

#6. I am not sure how to respond to this paragraph. It appears to be a thinly veiled threat, meaning you’ll do whatever it takes to unseat me in the next election cycle. You should always strive for the best, if you feel your representation is inadequate you should explore alternative prospects. I encourage every potential candidate that has an interest in public service to file for their office of interest, even if it means I’ll be gaining an opponent. I welcome a good spirited debate on the campaign trail, and the public having more than one option on election day. The truth is, the threat of a primary candidate or loss of support from an organization, will not change my position on pursuing what I believe to be right.

#7. There is no doubt, I will always remain Republican, I have no immediate plans to change my party affiliation. Although I may not always walk in lockstep with the party or all of my Republican colleagues, my Republican values have never wavered. Your group is a prime example of Republicans having issues with unison, two years ago The Peninsula had one Republican women’s organization, today there are three. Why is that?

In closing, I only ask you to be patient and have a little faith. There are a lot of dynamics here in Juneau that members of the public never see or hear. The goal is to have a successful 31^st Legislative session and there is only one way forward for the house. You have a great informational resource to the inner working of this organization in Mary Jackson. She knows better than most what it takes to make a body function and the challenges of moving forward with a razor thin majority of 21 members.

Gary

[Read: Eastman to Knopp: Your plan cuts out your fellow Republicans.]

Amazon now charging Juneau buyers sales tax

The 907

Suzanne Downing

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January 29, 2019

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Amazon now charging Juneau buyers sales tax

(3-minute read) 5 PERCENT MORE FOR CAPITAL CITY BUYERS

Amazon, the internet retailer that swallowed Main Street America, is now charging Juneau consumers the 5 percent local sales tax on most orders being delivered inside the Borough. It appears to be a voluntary change, since there’s no federal or state legislation to force such an action.

The city could get millions a year from that sales tax collection, although no one knows how many sales to Juneauites are conducted through the Seattle-based behemoth. Once the remittances start coming in, that will become more apparent.

The change came about Jan. 1, but was not noticed by the City and Borough of Juneau Sales Tax Office until after several Juneauites reported that their orders were being taxed.

The Sales Tax Office contacted Amazon and verified that it does indeed have a registration and sales tax collection requirement placed on most orders shipped to Juneau.

The new policy of collecting sales it’s the result of corporate restructuring within Amazon, according to the Juneau Tax Office.

Prior to Jan. 1, 2019, a subsidiary of Amazon already had a registration and sales tax collection requirement under the CBJ Sales Tax code. Then, some corporate restructuring led to a larger portion of Amazon’s business enterprise with that requirement under Juneau’s sales tax code.

As a result, Amazon collects an extra 5 percent on the majority of orders shipped into Juneau, money that will be remitted to the city.

There’s a workaround, for now. If you buy an oil filter for your car, you can find a vendor that is a third-party to Amazon, and they are still not charging the tax. Some Juneauites report to MustReadAlaska that they are not having difficulty getting everything they need delivered right to their door, and are avoiding the tax.

Currently, retailers that only conduct internet sales and have no brick-and-mortar presence in Juneau are not yet subject to CBJ sales tax.

This would include retailers like LL Bean or Dave Smith Auto, which don’t have stores in Juneau. A gun from Cabela’s purchased online would avoid the sales tax, because there is no local Cabela’s outlet in the capital city. But if you order a gun from Sportsman’s Warehouse, it would be taxed because there is a Sportsman’s Warehouse retailer in Juneau.

One hitch is that Amazon is not calculating for exemptions. For instance, the local senior exemption for tax on food is too in-the-weeds for Amazon. It’s taxing everything the same.

Amazon owns the exclusive copyrighted software to be able to coordinate and calculate local sales taxes. Amazon has lobbied to get other vendors to be forced to collect local and state sales tax, which would require those other retailers, many of them smaller companies, to buy the Amazon-owned software. Ka-ching!

Mayor Dan Sullivan named to Regulatory Commission

Politics

Suzanne Downing

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January 29, 2019

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(2-minute read) MORE ADDED TO BOARDS AND COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS

Former Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan has been named to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska. Sullivan was among several Alaskans named to various boards and commissions today.

The RCA has broad authority over certificates for public utilities and pipelines; including projects as small as village water and wastewater systems to as large as regulated telecommunications, electric, and natural gas monopolies.

Sullivan’s appointment by Gov. Michael Dunleavy must be confirmed the the Legislature in joint session. His term will last for six years. Commissioners and staff work full time in the commission’s Anchorage office. He’s at a Range 27, which is about $103,000 per year.

The RCA may be the entity that will be asked to set some parameters for the merging of ML&P and Chugach Electric, an arrangement made by Mayor Ethan Berkowitz and former Sen. Mark Begich.

Fifteen other people named to boards and commissions include:

Alaska Public Offices Commission

Suzanne Hancock of Anchorage (APOC nominee)

Board of Dental Examiners

Dr. Jesse Hronkin of Wasilla
Dr. Timothy “Jon” Woller of Fairbanks
Dr. Kelly Lucas of Wasilla
Dr. David Nielson of Anchorage (reappointment)
Brittany Dschaak of Dillingham

Board of Examiners in Optometry

Dr. Brad Cross of Soldotna

Board of Marital and Family Therapy

Dr. Noah Shields of Kenai

Fisherman’s Fund Advisory and Appeals Council

Marilyn Charles of Emmonak

Real Estate Commission

PeggyAnn McConnochie of Juneau (reappointment)
Margaret Nelson of Anchorage
Jesse Sumner of Wasilla
Jamie Matthews of Glennallen
Cheryl Markwood of Fairbanks
Michael Tavoliero of Eagle River

WHAT IS THE REGULATORY COMMISSION?

The Regulatory Commission of Alaska consists of five commissioners appointed by the governor and confirmed by the legislature in joint session. Commissioners are appointed to six-year, staggered terms. The commission annually elects one of its members to serve as chair for the following fiscal year. The term as chair is one year. The chair may be elected to not more than three successive terms as chair.

The passing of a legend: Mike Dalton of Fairbanks

Suzanne Downing

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January 29, 2019

12

The passing of a legend: Mike Dalton of Fairbanks

SHE WAS A TIRELESS POLITICAL ACTIVIST

Kathleen “Mike” Dalton died on Monday in Fairbanks, at home.

She’s been a force in Alaska politics since making Alaska her home in 1949. A staunch Republican, she never withheld an opinion, and always delivered it with conviction.

MustReadAlaska’s Suzanne Downing visited her at her snug log home outside of Fairbanks in November. It is the house built by her and her late husband, Jim Dalton, and it’s probably the stoutest, tightest house in the North Star Borough. Jim was a true legend in Alaska construction and it’s his name that is on the Dalton Highway.

Mike greeted this writer by saying, “I have a rule. Either you have an Americano or you have gossip, and I don’t see an Americano!!” She was sharp as ever.

So it was to be political gossip — Prometheus stories. Bill Walker stories. Maybe even some off-color stories.

Mike started the Interior GOP email newsletter in 1998 and ran it for 18 years before retiring from that task in 2016, so during this visit, the two newsletter writers shared notes. She had enough stories for a lifetime.

How did she become known as Mike?

Her Irish-heritage father wanted to name his children good Irish names: Pat and Mike. So the first girl born was named Patricia — Pat. When Kathleen (maiden name Fitzpatrick) came along, everyone just called her Mike.

Mike Dalton was raised on a Navajo reservation in Arizona until age 10. She graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, and then moved to Alaska with a school friend, Rosie Losonsky. Mike went to work for Arctic Contractors.

Soon, she met Jim Dalton, son of Jack Dalton, the Klondike gold rush legend and the man for whom the original Dalton Trial to Dawson was named.

The two married, and Jim became involved with development of the U.S. Petroleum Reserve on the North Slope and was a contractor for the Navy in the area of oil and gas exploration.

Jim and Mike lived in Barrow for several years, and they added their son George and daughter Libby to the family.

The Daltons purchased 30 acres on Yankovich Road in Fairbanks, where they build the family log home.

It was from that log home that Mike helped shape the future of Alaska. While Jim was busy on the North Slope, she remained active on behalf of political candidates.

Dalton joined the Republican Women’s Club of Fairbanks in 1962 and remained a member until her death. During that time she raised money, filed reports with the Alaska Public Offices Commission, and became a fortress of knowledge about Alaska politics. She also worked as a reporter for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, from 1961 to 1971, and reported on the 1964 Anchorage earthquake, the discovery of oil in Prudhoe Bay, and the pending construction of the Trans Alaska Pipeline.

*Kathleen Mike Dalton as a reporter at the Fairbanks News-Miner.*

In a word, she knew where all the bodies were buried. Her political newsletter in later years was a staple in the Interior for many years.

Mike ran and won a seat on the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly upon its formation in 1964. She was the director of Alaska’s Washington, D.C. office for Gov. Jay Hammond, and was the Interior Alaska office manager for U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens.

Politics fascinated her. She was involved in every governor’s campaign since Statehood, including the Wally Hickel, Jay Hammond, Keith Miller, Arliss Sturgelewski, Frank Murkowski, and Sean Parnell campaigns. She also worked on the campaigns of Sen. Ted Stevens and Congressman Don Young, since he was first appointed and then had to run for his seat.

She was a staff member for Sen. Jack Coghill. Among her other experiences was helping the City of Unalaska organize the 50th commemoration of the bombing of Dutch Harbor and the Japanese occupation of Attu and Kiska Islands. Between all those causes, she had taught herself to speak Japanese and traveled to Japan.

She was GOP district chair for many years and was involved in helping the heavy hitters in early Republican politics, Wally Hickel, Elmer Rasmussen, Lowell Thomas, and Howard Pollock.

*Mike Dalton, right, with Alaska’s second congressman, Rep. Howard Pollock, and Alaska’s first Senator, Bob Bartlett.*

Mike helped organize and participated in the first American delegation visit to the Russian Far East and Kamchatka Peninsula.

She was both a member of the Alaska Pioneers, where she held every office including that of president of Women’s Igloo # 8 in 1997, but she also was one of the first non-Natives to be honored by the Fairbanks Native Association. She was an early advocate for the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.

*Mike Dalton testifies in front of the Senate Energy Committee in 1980.*

This skimming of Mike Dalton’s long and storied life is condensed from a more complete accounting of her amazing journey through Alaska history at the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame.

Add your own memories below in the comment section.

Village Public Safety Program can’t use the cash it has

Suzanne Downing

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January 29, 2019

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(4-minute read) PROGRAM STRUGGLES TO SPEND MONEY ALLOCATED BY STATE

In 2013, the Alaska Village Public Safety Officer Program hit a milestone of 101 safety officers in villages. It took an enormous effort by the Department of Public Safety to build those numbers from the 45 positions filled in 2007.

Earlier in VPSO history, there were as many as 130, but rebuilding the force was a priority of Gov. Sean Parnell, and staffing it to over 100 was a milestone.

But under the Walker administration, the number of VPSOs dropped back to less than 50 in 2018.

Historically, Alaska has found it difficult to retain high-quality paraprofessional police officers because the work is hard, can create conflicts with family members in villages, and recruiting outsiders to work in villages is a herculean task. VPSOs don’t carry guns, and they have little backup. They have a hard time finding housing in villages and when they do, they must sometimes house offenders in their own homes while they wait for Troopers to arrive. There are no jail facilities in most villages.

The VPSO program, started in the 1970s, is managed with help from various Native entities. That helps the State of Alaska manage costs by not having to place these safety officers into the State benefits plan. It shifts much of the responsibility back to the local level as a policing partnership.

The hiring of the VPSOs is contracted to nine Alaska Native nonprofit organizations and the Northwest Arctic Borough. The State trains the officers and pays them, and the budget for the program has been about $13 million for the past three years.

But one third of the positions are routinely empty. And this is the third year in a row the program has lapsed $3 million. In FY17 and FY18, it was also unable to spend the money it was given.

PUSHBACK FROM SENATOR OLSON

As Alaska is more than midway through the 2019 fiscal year, the Department of Public Safety offered $3 million back to the General Fund because it cannot use the money for what the Legislature intended — there are just not enough qualified people to hire in these positions.

The Senate Finance Committee today heard from Office of Management and Budget Director Donna Arduin about the unused VPSO funds that DPS sent back to the General Fund to help with earthquake recovery. The money was allocated for this year, but is unspent and will not be spent, Arduin said. The Dunleavy Administration wants to reallocate it.

Sen. Donny Olson of Golovin was not having it, however.

In committee, he all but blamed the death of Kotzebue’s Ashley Barr in 2018 on not having enough VPSOs, even though there is a Trooper post in Kotzebue, and even though the accused killer was a known perpetrator. Peter V. Wilson’s trial begins on March 25 in Fairbanks.

For all his chest-beating in committee, Olson has not been exactly a budget hawk. He’s the senator who infamously billed the state to move appliances, power tools, a piano, and an excessive number of other household goods north from Juneau, claiming that they were his legitimate household moving items after session ended.

The problem was, there were over 7,300 pounds of goods that went from Juneau to Golovin, but didn’t go the other way. He was shopping and shipping at state expense.

See the shipping Invoices of Sen. Donny Olson

Today, Olson badgered OMB Director Arduin with questions about why she didn’t reach out to the Native organizations who are running the VPSO programs.

She calmly answered that she leaves that interaction to the Department of Public Safety, where it properly belongs. Her role was to ask Departments to look for money they cannot use this fiscal year, and return what they can so the State can use it in areas where it’s actually needed now.

Sen. Scott Kawasaki also got in on the demagoguery, by taking his complaint to Facebook:

Kawasaki’s budget committee was in the House, which was under Democrat control last year, and he is claiming responsibility for the overpayment to the program and the lack of budgetary restraint.

VPSO PROGRAM HAS HEADWINDS

Even though most of the village safety officers are upstanding, hardworking, and honorable, the VPSO program has been fraught with chronic quality assurance failings in the past. Recruiting and retaining is just one of the problems.

Take the poll: Is Rep. Knopp on track?

The Social

Suzanne Downing

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January 29, 2019

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Quick like a bunny! MustReadAlaska cares what you think. We’re running a poll on Facebook to gauge Alaskans’ opinion of the Knopp Plan for organizing the Alaska House of Representatives.

The Rep. Gary Knopp explanation is here.

The David Eastman rebuttal is here.

The poll is here.

Eastman to Knopp: Your plans cut your fellow Republicans out

Columns

Suzanne Downing

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January 28, 2019

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(5-minute read) LAWMAKER RESPONDS TO KNOPP’S PUBLIC EXPLANATION

By REP. DAVID EASTMAN

I read with interest your recent article: “Republicans and Democrats must work together to form a bipartisan coalition.”

As a fellow legislator representing a Republican district quite similar to yours, I believe your thoughtful proposal deserves an equally thoughtful response.

[Read: Knopp explains why he rejects fellow Republicans]

In your proposal you recommend that we form a bipartisan caucus with “upwards of 24 members” and you note that “A 50/50 split would be ideal.” From this, I take it that you envision a caucus of either 22 or 24 members, as 20 would be too small a number to form a majority, and the total must result in an even number to accomplish having a 50/50 split between Republicans and Democrats. In the first case, your caucus would be comprised of 11 Republicans and 11 Democrats, and in the second case, it would be made up of 12 Republicans and 12 Democrats.

Thank you for noting in your proposal your intention “not to divide our caucus but to help it succeed.” I must admit, had you not stated that up front, I would have come away with the opposite impression. If only 11 of the 23 elected Republicans are permitted to join the caucus, that would leave the majority of Republican legislators excluded from participating. If 12 are invited, that wouldn’t be much better, as it would divide the caucus right down the middle, with 11 Republican legislators still excluded. Even if those 11 were from the smallest Republican districts, that would still mean Republican representatives for 194,960 Alaskans would, on your plan, be excluded from participation.

And which 11 or 12 Republican legislators would be the ones excluded on your plan? You mention wanting to minimize the risk that one or more legislators might not vote with the caucus on a vote. To accomplish that, you would want to exclude the more liberal and more conservative legislators from your caucus. But I couldn’t help noticing that your district was one of only five districts statewide to prefer Joe Miller to Lisa Murkowski two years ago. If you plan to vote in keeping with the district you represent, you and your district would both be excluded from the caucus and from activity in the Legislature for the next two years.

And yet, I understand that your name is included on each of the versions of the caucus membership list that you have been circulating. But how could that be, unless you have already decided not to vote in keeping with the constituents you represent?

In reading your proposal, I have a concern. The people of Alaska voted overwhelmingly for Gov. Mike Dunleavy in the last election. The caucus you left last month included 21 Republican legislators who each supported Gov. Dunleavy, to a greater or lesser extent.

You are proposing bringing into your caucus 11 or 12 Democratic legislators for whom the candidate who best represented them was his opponent, Mark Begich. You are proposing putting these legislators into positions of leadership from which they will be advocating for the very positions that Dunleavy opposed and that the people of Alaska rejected at the ballot box. Likewise, from those positions of leadership they will have the power to block each of the items on the governor’s agenda. Have you considered this? In your mind, is that a good thing?

I’m certain it couldn’t have escaped your notice that, as a result of the last election, Republican House legislators currently represent more than 145,000 more Alaskans than their Democratic Party counterparts.

Your proposal would have the effect of wiping away the results of the last election and artificially choosing to move forward into this legislative session as though Republican and Democratic legislators in fact received the exact same number of votes across our state. Is this fair to those who voted? And does it best serve the interests of a state in which Republican voters outnumber Democrats by a ratio of two to one?

I have my own proposal that I would like you to consider.

In both of our districts, Mike Dunleavy beat Mark Begich by more than 40 percent. The constituents we represent have spoken clearly that they like our new governor and his priorities. I propose that the best group of legislators to work together to accomplish these priorities are our fellow 23 Republican legislators (and any other legislators who catch the governor’s vision and publicly commit to working with us to accomplish it).

Let us work together to repeal Senate Bill 91, to protect the dividend and to pass a balanced budget. Let us do so for the rest of the 31st Legislature in an environment where each legislator is invited to contribute, will be heard and will be able to use their talents and experience to the fullest in the pursuit of these shared goals. If you have serious concerns over the specific role of another legislator in the caucus, let us have that conversation now.

We have already spent the first 12 days of this session working through which Republican legislators will be excluded. Let us focus the remainder of our time and energies on accomplishing the goals that the people have tasked us with accomplishing.

Rep. David Eastman, represents District 11, the Mat-Su Valley, in the Alaska House of Representatives.

Readers: Take the poll:

https://www.facebook.com/mustreadalaska/posts/1018729368314333

Earthquake damage? You’ve got more time to file for assistance

The 907

Suzanne Downing

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January 28, 2019

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(2-minute read) DUNLEAVY EXTENDS EARTHQUAKE RECOVERY APPLICATION DEADLINE

Gov. Michael Dunleavy today extended the application period for the State of Alaska’s Individual Assistance Program for 30 more days. The original deadline was Tuesday, Jan. 29.

The Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management will accept applications for the State Individual Family Grant and Temporary Housing programs until Feb. 28. The program, which provides assistance to individuals and families who suffered damages or losses to personal or real property during the Nov. 30, 2018 earthquake, is available in Anchorage, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, and the Kenai Peninsula Borough.

Individual residents or households with damages to their primary residence, personal property, or transportation during the earthquake or aftershocks, may apply. But the Feb. 28 deadline is firm — if you miss it, you won’t be able to apply later.

“We encourage everyone with damages from the Cook Inlet Earthquake to apply for State Individual Assistance. If damages are discovered at a later date, or damages from the earthquake are compounded by ground thaw in the spring, an application may be amended,” said Mike Sutton, director of the division.

To apply for State Individual Assistance, call DHS&EM at 1-855-445-7131, or visit Ready.Alaska.Gov.

Applicants will be asked to provide a description of damages, photographs or videos, ownership documents for transportation and real property, and insurance information.

Applicants needing an interpreter, or those with hearing disabilities should have a representative call the number above to arrange for assistance.

Dunleavy requested activation of federal disaster recovery programs on Jan. 3. The president may activate Federal individual and public assistance programs, and/or Small Business Administration disaster recovery loans.

Alaskans who have applied for State individual assistance will be required to apply for federal disaster recovery programs if or when they become available. Federal programs have separate application processes and may require documentation not requested during the State Individual Assistance application.

Dunleavy submits supplemental budget with a twist: Some cuts

Politics

Suzanne Downing

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January 28, 2019

8

Dunleavy submits supplemental budget with a twist: Some cuts

(3-minute read) TRIMS SPENDING TO SCHOOLS, PUTS IT TOWARD EARTHQUAKE RECOVERY

Today, Gov. Michael Dunleavy introduced his Fiscal Year 2019 Supplemental Budget, which was unusual in that instead of asking for more money for the General Fund, he actually returned money to the fund.

But the supplemental budget he gave the Senate is not all cuts. Here are the top-line details:

Dunleavy’s Office of Management and Budget has pulled back some $20 million that the 2018 Legislature passed that was over and above the “base student allocation,” which is basic funding for schools based on numbers of students enrolled. The money hasn’t been spent yet, and the governor wants to prioritize differently.

It’s not an unheard of move. In 2015, the public school funding was also pulled back, when the Alaska economy crashed along with the price of oil. That was under Gov. Bill Walker.

Dunleavy asked departments to prioritize their current-year spending and return any funds they anticipate not needing between now and July 1, the beginning of the next fiscal year.

The Alaska Gasline Development Agency returned $5 million to the General Fund, because the agency is moving in a different direction, and the Village Public Safety Officer program returned $3 million, because it has so many positions unfilled. This is the third year in a row that it hasn’t needed that $3 million.

The Department of Education returned $2 million from the school bond debt reimbursement program, a savings that came because the bond debt is lower than was anticipated.

The supplemental budget doesn’t return all of that to the General Fund. Ultimately, just $12.5 million goes back to the State purse, between the undesignated funds and designated funds.

Money is being allocated for disasters. Dunleavy is requesting spending for $37 million in earthquake recovery, which will bring in more than $100 million in federal funds.

He also budgeted nearly $8 million in supplemental spending for fire suppression between now and July 1, in anticipation of forest fire season.

The governor allocated $15 million for Medicaid spending, which ballooned over the last year and was short-funded by as much as $70 million in 2018. The new Dunleavy Administration has since been able to whittle that down.

Sen. Tom Begich immediately found fault with the supplemental budget request.

“Last year, the Senate and House put aside partisanship and crafted an education budget that responded to public demand for increased education resources. Local schools and communities have been hit hard with the high cost of energy and the lack of inflation-proofing of our funding formula. The actions of the Governor send our education system backward, something our schools can’t afford.”

Last year, Gov. Bill Walker put forward his supplemental budget, adding $178 million in spending. The Legislature trimmed that back to $110 million in extra spending, mostly for exploding Medicaid costs.

(This story is developing and will be updated.)

A flurry of letters between Knopp and constituents

Amazon now charging Juneau buyers sales tax

Mayor Dan Sullivan named to Regulatory Commission

The passing of a legend: Mike Dalton of Fairbanks

Village Public Safety Program can’t use the cash it has

Eastman to Knopp: Your plans cut your fellow Republicans out

Readers: Take the poll:

Earthquake damage? You’ve got more time to file for assistance

Dunleavy submits supplemental budget with a twist: Some cuts

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